Progress in International Relations Theory

Progress in International Relations Theory PDF Author: Colin Elman
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262262552
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 524

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Book Description
All academic disciplines periodically appraise their effectiveness, evaluating the progress of previous scholarship and judging which approaches are useful and which are not. Although no field could survive if it did nothing but appraise its progress, occasional appraisals are important and if done well can help advance the field. This book investigates how international relations theorists can better equip themselves to determine the state of scholarly work in their field. It takes as its starting point Imre Lakatos's influential theory of scientific change, and in particular his methodology of scientific research programs (MSRP). It uses MSRP to organize its analysis of major research programs over the last several decades and uses MSRP's criteria for theoretical progress to evaluate these programs. The contributors appraise the progress of institutional theory, varieties of realist and liberal theory, operational code analysis, and other research programs in international relations. Their analyses reveal the strengths and limits of Lakatosian criteria and the need for metatheoretical metrics for evaluating scientific progress.

Progress in International Relations Theory

Progress in International Relations Theory PDF Author: Colin Elman
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262262552
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 524

Get Book Here

Book Description
All academic disciplines periodically appraise their effectiveness, evaluating the progress of previous scholarship and judging which approaches are useful and which are not. Although no field could survive if it did nothing but appraise its progress, occasional appraisals are important and if done well can help advance the field. This book investigates how international relations theorists can better equip themselves to determine the state of scholarly work in their field. It takes as its starting point Imre Lakatos's influential theory of scientific change, and in particular his methodology of scientific research programs (MSRP). It uses MSRP to organize its analysis of major research programs over the last several decades and uses MSRP's criteria for theoretical progress to evaluate these programs. The contributors appraise the progress of institutional theory, varieties of realist and liberal theory, operational code analysis, and other research programs in international relations. Their analyses reveal the strengths and limits of Lakatosian criteria and the need for metatheoretical metrics for evaluating scientific progress.

Understanding International Relations

Understanding International Relations PDF Author: Chris Brown
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780333668306
Category : International relations
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
A concise introductory text for students approaching the subject for the first time. Clear and accessible but sophisticated and penetrating, the book takes as its starting point the main theoretical approaches which have been adopted historically and shows how these can be applied to understanding the central questions of war and peace, poverty and wealth, economic management and global governance confronting the world today. It concludes by reviewing new agendas in the post Cold War period and pulling together elements of a theoretical synthesis.

Evaluating Progress in International Relations

Evaluating Progress in International Relations PDF Author: Annette Freyberg-Inan
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1317201434
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 235

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Book Description
This edited volume offers a systematic evaluation of how knowledge is produced by scholarly research into International Relations. The contributors explore three key questions: To what extent is scientific progress and accumulation of knowledge possible? What are the different accounts of how this process takes place? And what are the dominant critiques of these understandings? It is the first publication to survey the full range of perspectives available for evaluating scientific progress as well as dominant critiques of scientism. In its second part, the volume applies this range of perspectives to the research program on the democratic peace. It shows what we gain by accommodating and enabling dialogue among the full range of epistemological approaches. The contributors elaborate and defend the epistemological position of sociable pluralism as one that seeks to build bridges between soft positivism, critical theory, and critical realism. The underlying idea is that if the differences between the various approaches used by different communities of researchers can be understood more clearly, this will facilitate meaningful cross-cutting communication, dialogue, and debate and thereby enable us to address real-world problems more effectively. This timely and original work will be of great interest to advanced-level students and scholars dealing with philosophy of science and methodological questions in International Relations.

International Society and the Development of International Relations Theory

International Society and the Development of International Relations Theory PDF Author: B. A. Roberson
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 9780826452245
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
A critical appreciation of the development of the international society idea and its influence on and relation to the development of the international relations theory. A critical look is taken at the intellectual development of key members of the English School. The concept of the School itself and the place of the School's theory in contemporary international relations approaches are examined.

International Relations Theory and Ecological Thought

International Relations Theory and Ecological Thought PDF Author: Eric Laferrière
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415164788
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
This groundbreaking book will be a point of departure for all international relations and political theorists, as well as those involved with environmental policy and philosophy.

Power and Progress

Power and Progress PDF Author: Jack Snyder
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136467688
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 380

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Book Description
Jack Snyder is a leading American international relations scholar with an international reputation for his research on IR theory and US Foreign policy. This book collects many of his most important essays into a single volume. Exploring a liberal realist theory of international politics, the book is arranged around three key subject areas: Anarchy and Its Effects The Challenges of Democratic Consolidation Empire and the Promotion of a Liberal Order With a new introduction to frame the selected essays, this collection examines how developing nations evolve political systems, and fit into a world dominated by liberal-democracies. It looks to the future for the current dominant powers in a changing world of international relations and at the challenges to their leadership. Featuring a new conclusion, developed from the assembled chapters, this is a fascinating and vital collection of scholarship from one of the most influential theorists of his generation. Power and Progress is an invaluable text for students and scholars of international relations, and those interested in the debates on liberalism and realism, and comparative politics.

International Relations Theory

International Relations Theory PDF Author: Oliver Daddow
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1446291499
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
International Relations Theory: The Essentials provides a complete and concise introduction to the study of international relations theory, covering the main theories that you'll encounter on your course. In addition, its helpful study skills section shows you how to apply your knowledge to coursework and examinations, ensuring that you get the most out of your studies. This revised second edition includes: Coverage of the key theories in international relations, including new sections on Democratic Peace Theory, Pluralism and Solidarism and Norms An updated study skills section giving you guidance on responding to feedback and avoiding plagiarism, along with hints and tips for good essay writing, how to get the most out of lectures and seminars, and exam preparation A number of useful learning features; from 'questions to ponder' and 'common pitfalls', to lists of further reading and 'taking it further' boxes, which suggest ways in which you can extend your thinking beyond the classroom Written in a clear and accessible style, International Relations Theory: The Essentials is the perfect primer for both undergraduate and graduate students new to the topic of international relations theory, or for those simply looking for a refresher.

Bridges and Boundaries

Bridges and Boundaries PDF Author: Colin Elman
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262550390
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 452

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Book Description
Bridges and Boundaries offers a conversation between what might loosely be described as traditionalist diplomatic and military historians, and political scientists who employ qualitative case study methods to examine international relations. The book opens with a series of chapters discussing differences, commonalities, and opportunities for cross-fertilization between the two disciplines.To help focus the dialogue on real events and research, the volume then revisits three empirical topics that have been studied at length by members of both disciplines: British hegemony in the nineteenth century; diplomacy in the interwar period and the causes of World War II; and the origins and course of the Cold War. For each of these subjects, a political scientist, a historian, and a commentator reflect on how disciplinary "guild rules" have shaped the study of international events. The book closes with incisive overviews by Robert Jervis and Paul W. Schroeder. Bridges and Boundaries explores how historians and political scientists can learn from one another and illustrates the possibilities that arise when open-minded scholars from different disciplines sit down to talk.

International Relations Theory Today

International Relations Theory Today PDF Author: Ken Booth
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1509508341
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 408

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Book Description
International Relations (IR) theorists speak with conviction, and often passion, to the global condition of human society. The result is an important, dynamic and often deeply divided field. This long-awaited new edition of International Relations Theory Today offers undergraduate and postgraduate students an essential guide to the complex terrain of IR theory and the key questions on its agenda. With chapters by 25 prominent and provocative IR theorists, the book reveals the intellectual excitement - and turmoil - of theorizing world politics. It reflects the conflicts and tensions around the profound challenges facing the contemporary world, such as climate change, globalization, nuclear proliferation, and economic and political injustice and conflict, while also expressing hope that we can better understand, and respond to, these challenges. Above all, this book demonstrates the significance of thinking theoretically about international relations and developing the tools not merely to describe but also to explain, analyse, prescribe and possibly re-imagine the global political landscape. As the world comes face-to-face with historic challenges over the coming decades, International Relations Theory Today will help its readers to participate more effectively in debates about the most important global political dilemmas of our time.

International Relations and Scientific Progress

International Relations and Scientific Progress PDF Author: Patrick James
Publisher: Ohio State University Press
ISBN: 9780814209004
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 318

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Book Description
International Relations and Scientific Progress contends that a theory focusing on the structure of the international system explains a wider and more interesting range of events in world politics than other theories. Such theorizing appears to be out of favor as the result of the apparent failure by structural realism, the most prominent system-level theory over the last two decades, on any number of fronts--most notably an inability to anticipate the ending of the Cold War and its aftermath. This new book is put forward as the most comprehensive and innovative theoretical work on paradigms in international relations since the publication of Theory of International Politics, which created structural realism, more than two decades ago. With appropriate revisions, however, structural realist theory can compete effectively and reclaim its primacy. The first part of International Relations and Scientific Progress assesses the meaning of progress in the discipline of international relations, a process that culminates in the creation of a new concept, the scientific research enterprise. The second part reviews structural realism within that context and identifies a lack of connection between theory and research that links power-based indicators to international conflict, crisis, and war. This part of the book makes the case for an elaboration of structural realism by showing that a system-level theory based on structure has great unrealized explanatory potential. By comparison, the current overwhelmingly research oriented agenda on state dyads imposes severe limitations on understanding that are not currently appreciated. Part Three sums up the work and explores new directions, most notablyas related to empirical testing of an elaborated version of structural realism that focuses on both continuity and change in the international system.